"Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist.

"Be curious."

Prof. Hawking delivered a speech entitled, 'Why we should go into space', during a lecture series marking NASA's 50th anniversary on April 21, 2008 in Washington (NASA via Getty Images).

Attribution: Getty

10 of 14

"Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change."

In 2009, Prof. Hawking received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former US President Barack Obama at the White House (Stephen Hawking website).

Attribution: Stephen Hawking website

11 of 14

"Not only does God play dice, but ... he sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen."

Prof. Hawking's early life was dramatised in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything, starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.

He is joined by the actors at the London premiere in 2014 (AAP).

Attribution: AAP

12 of 14

“To play Stephen Hawking, I made a chronological graph of his physical condition. I literally listed the muscles breaking down scene by scene—what glasses he was wearing, whether he was using one or two walking sticks, what wheelchair he was in.

English actor Eddie Redmayne describes how he prepared for the role, in an interview with W Magazine.

Prof. Hawking and Redmayne arrive at the after party for the 2014 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London (Getty Images).

Attribution: AAP

13 of 14

"People who boast about their IQ are losers."

Prof. Hawking featured in a number of TV shows including The Big Bang Theory, The Simpsons, Futurama and Star Trek, the Next Generation.